


the future freaks me out

by sinshine



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Ann's gay panic, College AU, M/M, Pegoryu Week 2019, Romance, Sexual Content, Slice of Life, Underage Drinking, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-04 20:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20477078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinshine/pseuds/sinshine
Summary: Akira stopped trying to reach for his shoe and frowned thoughtfully. He put both of his hands on Ryuji’s shoulders and stared into his eyes with sudden intensity as he considered what had been said. Then a light of understanding illuminated his features and Ryuji felt warmth flood through him, knowing with certainty that Akira would come up with a plan to solve all his problems, he would-- oh, nevermind he was just kissing him.“There!” Akira gave him a cheerful pat on the arm when the deed was done. “Now we’ve both been kissed. Problem solved!”





	1. Problem Solver

**Author's Note:**

> A fic that takes place during their first year of college. The underage drinking tag is only for ch1. Happy Pegoryu Week!!

“Man, why’m I comin’ home from my first college mixer with you?”

“’Cause we live near each other?”

“Y’know what I mean,” Ryuji grunted and elbowed Akira in the ribs. They were walking back home late on a Saturday night- or early on a Sunday morning, depending on how you looked at it.

“I know,” Akira laughed. He stretched his hand up to smack a low-hanging branch as they passed by a line of cherry trees, showering them both in petals and rainwater. The storm had ended, but the trees were drenched and pink-saturated puddles swirled in the gutters. “And I would definitely, absolutely, one-hundred-percent say that it’s because you burped in that girl’s face.”

“_Fuck_, I’m _never_ gonna get laid! I mean-- _Fuck__!_ Shit! I didn’t say that, okay?” Ryuji’s face was flushed with equal parts embarrassment and intoxication. He groaned in despair, rubbing his hands over his face in frustration. His voice was muffled behind his palms. “I shouldn’t’ve gone with beer! I hate beer!”

“My drink was red and tasty and came with a tiny umbrella,” Akira said smugly. “That’s what you get for subscribing to masculine stereotypes and drinkin’ a piss drink.”

They stopped at a crosswalk and Ryuji took the opportunity to scuff Akira’s shoe with his own. “Man, you are such an asshole sometimes.”

“Thanks.”

“Not a compliment. But because you look like _that_-” Ryuji made a sweeping gesture to indicate all of Akira, from the top of his attractively disheveled hair down to his navy loafers- “People’re more willin’ to give ya a free pass.”

“_That_?”

“Y’know. Cute or whatever.”

“Oho! Is that why you put up with me? Because I’m what the kids call a ‘total snack?’”

There was a lilt to Akira’s voice that Ryuji didn’t like. Or didn’t not like? It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he scowled. “You don’t even try to deny it, huh.”

“I don’t like lying. Least of all to you, Ryuji.”

The signal changed and Ryuji was the first one off the curb, power-walking away from Akira’s self-satisfied smirk. Akira caught up to him once they crossed the street, but Ryuji stuck his foot out and tried to trip him.

“You smarmy, prettyboy asshole!”

“Aha! Ah-- fuck!” Akira managed to evade Ryuji, but lost his shoe in the process. Ryuji quickly snatched up the loafer, but felt unsteady when he bent over and needed to touch the sidewalk for reassurance before straightening.

“I saw that,” Akira laughed, like he was any less of a lightweight. He held out his hand for the shoe, but Ryuji showed no interest in handing it to him.

“Why th’fuck’re _you_ comin’ home with me? At least two of those girls were into you. Maybe two an’ a half.” Ryuji gestured with the hand that held Akira’s shoe. Akira made a few attempts to grab it but Ryuji kept moving, backing up so that he could stay out of reach.

“Which half? I hope it’s the half with skin.”

“Do you even care about… y’know?” Ryuji waved the shoe as though it would magically supply the word for him.

“Shoes? I care a lot about shoes. My _left_ one in particular.”

“_Sex_.”

“Ryuji, that’s awfully bold of you,” Akira teased. He leaned into Ryuji and the world tilted with him, until he had Ryuji backed up against the dark glass of a storefront. Akira braced one hand on Ryuji’s shoulder as he swiped at his shoe with the other. “Give it back before I step inna puddle of city water.”

“Y’always seem to got a buncha ridiculously hot girls around, but y’never talk about datin’.” Ryuji held the shoe high above his head, just to flaunt the five extra centimeters he’d gained over Akira during his final year at Shujin. “I mean, you’ve at least been kissed, right? You were pretty popular in high school.”

“The word you’re looking for is ‘infamous.’ Maybe ‘notorious.’” Akira jumped and made another fruitless attempt to grab at Ryuji’s hand. “C’mon, Ryuj’, what’s this about? Why won’t you give a man his footwear?”

“I just-” Ryuji put a hand on Akira’s chest to discourage him from trying to literally climb Ryuji like a tree- “I don’t get why this is such a big deal to me! And why you’re basic’ly in the same boat but you don’t even care!”

Akira stopped trying to reach for his shoe and frowned thoughtfully. He put both of his hands on Ryuji’s shoulders and stared into his eyes with sudden intensity as he considered what had been said. Then a light of understanding illuminated his features and Ryuji felt warmth flood through him, knowing with certainty that Akira would come up with a plan to solve all his problems, he would-- oh, nevermind he was just kissing him.

“There!” Akira gave him a cheerful pat on the arm when the deed was done. “Now we’ve both been kissed. Problem solved!”

Ryuji, frozen in shock, dropped the shoe. Akira let out a whoop and slipped it back on, but by the time he looked up again Ryuji was halfway down the block. He darted in and out of the circles of light cast by streetlamps, sprinting away at top speed.

“Oh,” Akira sighed, “_Fuck_.”

...


	2. Comeback Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pegoryu week day 2: charge!

Akira was humming to himself and stirring a pot of curry when Ryuji burst in through the front door of his apartment. This surprising not because he had unlocked the door himself (Akira, for better or worse, had distributed almost a dozen copies of his apartment key) but because Ryuji hadn’t contacted him aside from the obligatory ‘I’m alive’ text the morning after the mixer. Ryuji’s chest heaved and his face was flushed, so Akira’s first impression was that he had been out for a run, until he realized that Ryuji wasn’t dressed in his workout clothes.

“Hey. It’s good to see you.” Akira smiled and held out a spoonful of curry. “Would you give this a taste? I tried tweaking the recipe a bit.”

“You’re probably wondering why I’ve been avoiding you,” Ryuji said, the careful articulation of his words implying that he had practiced saying it to himself in a mirror. He glanced anxiously at the spoon, unsure of whether or not to acknowledge it, and Akira dropped it back into the pot with a sigh.

“Not really.” Akira shrugged and turned the burner heat down to a simmer. He leaned back against the counter top, regarding Ryuji with a nonplussed expression. “Isn’t it because I kissed you the other night while we were both drunk?”

“Alright, fine, you’re not wondering!” Ryuji dropped his schoolbag and approached Akira purposefully, before remembering that he was still wearing his shoes. He pivoted on his heel, stomped over to the front door, kicked them off, and huffed back over. Ryuji leaned on the counter top opposite of Akira, leaving a careful distance between them.

Akira noticed, but he tried not to let it mean anything. “About that… Sorry, it was just a bad joke.”

“Okay.” Ryuji nodded, apparently to himself, as he pursed and unpursed his lips. He started to drum his fingers on top of his thigh in a frantic rhythm, but forced himself to stop. “Did you, uh... did you hate it?”

Akira made an attempt to stall for time by removing his glasses and wiping the lenses on the hem of his apron. He tipped his head down, hiding behind his bangs. “What do you mean?”

“I wanted to ask you for a favor.” Ryuji sounded expectant so Akira nodded for him to continue, not trusting himself to speak. “Could you, maybe, do it again?”

Akira dropped his glasses and they skittered on the tiled floor. He left them there, like he had meant to do that. “Why?”

Ryuji bent to pick up Akira’s glasses. He stepped closer, fidgeting with them, bending the arms back and forth. “Because I got kind of a weird feelin’ in my gut and it ain’t nausea. Well, ain’t _just_ nausea, but that was from all the beer, not you.” Akira had gone very still, but his hands gripped the edge of the countertop. Ryuji put a hand under Akira’s chin and gently raised it. He carefully put the glasses back on Akira’s reddened face, brushing his bangs out of the way and then messing with them until the dark locks fell just right. “And yeah, I did freak out and I’m sorry about that. But I wanna try kissin’ you again.”

Akira’s thoughts were moving way too quickly and it had become an uphill battle to string a full sentence together. Ryuji’s words had scraped against the wound that Akira kept convincing himself wasn’t there, so what did come out of his mouth was unfiltered and frenetic. “I don’t wanna be something you just _try_. I’m not a- a sample tray at the grocery store or a-”

“A snack?” Ryuji let out a short, nervous laugh. “Sorry. What I meant was, I wanna try an’ get it right.”

Something suspiciously akin to hope bubbled in Akira’s chest, but he shoved it back down. Ryuji’s hands came to rest on the outside of his, bracketing him in, and Akira’s breath caught in his throat. An unnamed urgency thrashed inside him as Ryuji pressed closer. “Try _what_?”

“Kissing you. The right way.” Ryuji leaned into Akira, pinning him to the counter. He glanced down at Akira’s mouth and back up, pausing long enough to give Akira time to protest or push him away, but he did neither.

Ryuji closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to Akira’s. He felt Akira’s breath stutter and Ryuji pulled back to check his reaction, but Akira’s hand gripped the front of his shirt and tugged him back in. One kiss became two, became a series of long, lingering kisses. Ryuji was spurred on by by the way Akira’s body arched into his own and by his breathless sighs of Ryuji’s name. And all of that made Ryuji’s face tingle in a very pleasant way, but he began to wonder what other sounds he could get Akira to make.

In the spaces where he would actually let Akira breathe, Ryuji began to experimentally press his lips to other places. He kissed Akira’s cheeks, his chin, his neck, always returning to his mouth. At first it was enough just to feel him tremble and grow warm under his touch, but Ryuji wanted more. He bit Akira’s lower lip just to see his reaction, delighting at the small sound he tried to stifle, then put his mouth to his throat, dragging his teeth just above the collarbone. Ryuji’s hands slipped from Akira’s waist to the small of his back, loosing the knot of the apron.

Akira gasped and clung onto Ryuji’s shoulders. He was quickly losing himself in the feeling of Ryuji’s mouth on his neck and Ryuji’s hands moving along his waist, untucking his shirt, his palms on the bare skin of his back. “Wait- _ah!”_ A rough nail made a long scratch up his spine and Akira shivered. “Ryuji, hold on.”

“Sorry,” Ryuji murmured against his skin, sending another shudder through Akira, as he removed his hands from under his shirt but kept him pinned to the counter. Ryuji’s half-lidded gaze was dark and wanting in a way that Akira had never seen him. “I like you, Akira. I really, _really_ like you.”

“You’re sure?” Akira asked breathlessly, even though his glasses were fogged and he would probably have to wear a high-collared shirt tomorrow. His hands were back on the counter and he gripped the edge with a white-knuckled intensity. “Because, I- I _can’t-_” he chewed on his lip, eyes darting away for a moment as something fragile and fleeting came over him- “I don’t want to misunderstand anything.”

Ryuji felt a pang of guilt go through him because yeah, he was the guy who ran off and ditched Akira in the middle of the street two nights ago. More than that, Akira had quietly listened to him complain about girls for two years, never once mentioning his own heart. Ryuji framed Akira’s face with his hands, noticing the way he leaned into his touch, and wondered how he had missed it. “Akira, I wanna be with you. And I’m sure, I promise. I thought about it for a while, but it turned out to be pretty simple: choosing you is always the right answer.”

Akira surprised them both by snorting a laugh. “That’s what you came up with? Embarrassing.”

Ryuji smiled and kissed him on the nose. He ran his palms over Akira’s shoulders and down his arms, coaxing his hands into releasing their death-grip. Ryuji held Akira’s hands gently in his own, his thumbs rubbing over knuckles, smoothing out the tension, then pulled him into a hug. Akira came willingly and he hooked his chin over Ryuji’s shoulder, letting himself sink into the comfort and familiarity of having Ryuji’s arms wrapped around him. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath of Ryuji’s sun-warmed scent, and thought that maybe, just this once, everything would work out okay.

“And ya know what the best part is?” Ryuji whispered into his ear. “You taste like curry. So you’re not just a snack, you’re the whole goddamn meal.”

“Don’t you dare ruin curry for me,” Akira whispered back threateningly. He pressed his cheek to Ryuji’s shoulder, hiding his smile.

...


	3. Fire Starter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pegoryu week day 3: leap of faith

It goes like this: Spring melted into summer and on a lazy Sunday afternoon Ryuji interrupted one of their make-out sessions to announce that he was taking Akira out on a date.

“Don’t we already go on dates?” Akira was sprawled across Ryuji’s chest and he idly traced his collarbone with a finger. He had already gotten Ryuji’s shirt off and was anxious to get back to counting his ribs with his mouth.

“Yeah, but not like date-dates,” Ryuji clarified, gesturing in a way that explained nothing, but Akira knew he was talking around the fact that they had yet to make their relationship publicly known. “Like, I wanna take you out on a _legit_ date where we both dress up and spend way too much money on food.”

“I do like it when you buy me food for being pretty.” Akira flicked Ryuji’s nipple, smirking at his scowl. “There’s the festival next week.”

Ryuji swatted Akira’s hands away and started rucking up his shirt in retaliation. “We’re already goin’ to that with the others. I wanna do somethin’ special for you.”

“For me?” Akira echoed. He laughed as Ryuji finally got fed up with his tweaking and rolled them so that he could pin Akira to the mattress. “I don’t need anything like that.”

“Like _what_? You got someone else doin’ nice boyfriend things for you?” Ryuji pinched Akira’s waist and grinned as he watched him try not to squirm. He kissed Akira on the mouth and their conversation was put on hold for a few minutes, resuming only after Ryuji had managed to get both of them shirtless.

“The festival could be a date-date,” Akira said after he had caught his breath again. “We could both wear yukata and we’re already guaranteed to spend way too much money. And we could, y’know, go together-together.”

“Well, yeah but-- wait, really? Like, as boyfriends?” Ryuji’s eyes widened eagerly.

Akira nodded and then gasped as Ryuji kissed him hard, a pleased sound rumbling low in his throat. When they had first started this, Akira wanted to be cautious and do things the right way, to keep their pace slow and steady. But it had always been too easy to get swept up in Ryuji’s speed, even before less-than-platonic thoughts had started keeping Akira up late at night. He was always moving forward and charging ahead, leaving it up to Akira to either point the way or be dragged along in the wake behind him. But there were also times like this, when Akira thought that he understood perfectly what Ryuji meant when he said they were running alongside each other.

“You’re amazing,” Ryuji sighed into his mouth between kisses. Akira barely had time to stutter out a ‘no, you’ before he felt Ryuji’s thumbs fumbling with his belt buckle. “I’m gonna give you the best head of your friggin’ life. Prepare to have all your expectations _blown_.”

  


...


	4. Troublemakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pegoryu day 4: mythos

“It’s risky,” Akira admitted.

“Big risks, big rewards.” Ryuji flicked his finger on the back of the flier that Akira held. “Weren’t you the one sayin’ we could use some extra cash? Summer break’s almost here.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure if dying from heat exhaustion would be worth it. Aside from the obvious problem, the costumes are probably pretty heavy.”

“C’mon, it’s easy money and we don’t have to stick with it. We can try it out for a day and quit if you hate it.”

“And if we’re recognized?”

“Punch ‘em and run.” Ryuji grinned. “Do ya really think we’ll be recognized? Should I practice my autograph?”

“Shut up,” Akira laughed and hit him with the flier, which was about as effective as hitting someone with a single sheet of paper ever is. “Alright, you got me. Let’s go check it out.”

One train ride later, Akira and Ryuji arrived at the pop-up restaurant in Akiba called The Phantom Cafe. The signage out front featured enlarged photos of the Phantom Thieves’ calling cards, including stills from their video announcement to Shido. It was still early in the day, so the cafe wasn’t busy yet and they were able to walk right up to the service counter. The inside was decorated almost exclusively in red and black.

“Surreal,” Akira whispered.

“Weird as fuck,” Ryuji quietly agreed.

“Welcome to The Phantom Cafe! Prepare to have your hearts stolen by our top-notch service!” A girl with twintails greeted them from behind the register. A simple cat-eared mask covered her face but she was wearing a flouncy and vibrantly red dress that seemed to be comprised entirely of tulle and frills.

Ryuji almost laughed, but Akira’s elbow caught him in the ribs and he quickly turned it into a cough.

“Hi! We’re here about the ad.” Akira put on his most charming retail smile. “Are you still looking for people to cosplay and hand out coupons?”

“I was thinkin’ I would make a pretty good Skull-- er, y’know, the guy with the skull mask.” Ryuji grinned, winking at Akira in a very obvious way as he pointed at another framed screenshot of Shido’s calling card, a photo of just Skull and Joker. “And this guy’s hair would be pretty good as the leader, right?”

“Oh! Thank you for responding to our advertisement! Yes, I think you would be excellent in the Bonehead costume.”

“The _what?_”

“And for the leader...” She frowned thoughtfully at Akira, leaning forward over the counter to look him up and down. “Sorry, but we’re actually looking for someone taller.”

Akira opened his mouth and five minutes later they  both received a lifetime ban from  The Phantom Cafe.

“Society is wrong!” Akira fumed as they made their way back to the station. Ryuji was still clutching his sides and howling with laughter.

  


...


	5. summertime sadness (Oh, oh-oh oh~!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today's guest star: Ann's gay panic!

“Ryuji, you’d better stop humming that song, or else I’m gonna make it so you have to have a closed-casket funeral.” Ann slammed a bottle of nail polish onto her vanity for punctuation.

Ryuji let out a low whistle and lifted his head off the mattress just enough to make eye contact with Ann. He didn’t know what it was about girl beds, but Ann’s was supremely comfortable and he absolutely did not want to get up. “Terrifying _and_ specific. What’s got you worked up, buttercup?”

“Don’t call me buttercup.”

“What’s got you worked up,” Ryuji scrunched his nose, “Ma’am?”

Ann squinted at him. “How on earth did you manage to seduce Akira?”

Ryuji rolled his eyes and dropped his head back onto the ridiculously plush comforter. He checked his texts again, but there was nothing new in his inbox. “Why’d you invite me over if you’re just gonna be a bitch?”

There was a short pause, followed the sound of Ann sighing heavily. “Sorry. I’ve been feeling pretty miserable since Shiho’s been out of town.”

Ryuji let out an equally heavy sigh. “Dude, hard same. If you hadn’t invited me out today, I was just gonna stay home and cut the sleeves off all my t-shirts.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“Hm. Weird, but I think I get it.” Ann’s nails were still drying, so she stretched a leg out and nudged Ryuji’s foot with her own. “Hey, remind me what Akira’s doing in his hometown this week?”

“His grandmother’s havin’ her one-hundredth birthday.” Ryuji frowned. “I guess Akira kinda likes her, but it sounds like his mom an’ her siblings are goin’ to bicker about the will.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Yeah… So, what’s Shiho doin’?”

“Oh.” Ann scowled. “She’s going to a marriage interview.”

“_What!_” Ryuji squawked and scrambled to sit upright. “What the fuck, why did you not lead with that!”

“I don’t know!” Ann whined and flailed her arms. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it! Am I supposed to do anything about it?”

“I thought you guys were dating!”

“We are, kind of!”

“_Kind of?_”

“Mostly.”

“_Ann!_”

“I mean, we’re still best friends forever, but we do _a lot _more kissing now.” Ann sighed and got a far-off look in her eyes. “My forever girl.”

Ryuji rubbed his hands through his hair in unconcealed bewilderment. “Why is she taking the interview? You literally just told me about the color scheme you wanna use for your double-wedding with me an’ Akira!”

“And I have excellent taste, so I stand by those choices! But Shiho...” Ann’s voice wavered and her lower lip trembled. Her hands fluttered awkwardly in front of her. “Back in high school when her family moved, her dad started a new business that really took off. And now there’s this chance to expand with another company and they have this son that’s our age and--”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah! And Shiho’s not really for it, but she’s not totally against it either.” Ann slumped in her chair. “She said it couldn’t hurt to check it out and that she’s just trying to think about her future.”

“Her future? Ann!” Ryuji catapulted himself off the bed and grabbed Ann by her shoulders, nearly knocking them both over. “Does Shiho know that you have the colors to your future wedding picked out?!”

“What? _ No _, I only settled on the palette a few hours ago.”

“Does she know that you want, y’know, a future? With her?”

Ann’s mouth formed a silent ‘oh’, but as it all clicked together she made a much louder, “OH. Oh, shit!” After quickly checking that her nails were dry, Ann slapped Ryuji’s hands away and jumped to her feet. “I… I have to go! I have to go tell the love of my life that she’s the love of my life!”

Ryuji shouted encouragements at Ann as she darted around the room, collecting her things and quickly fixing her hair before darting out of her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. After she left, Ryuji closed the curtains, turned off the lights, and turned on Ann’s sound machine in preparation for the greatest nap of his life. But just as he was closing his eyes, Ryuji’s phone vibrated. It was an unknown number, but he recognized the area code.

“_Ryuji_,” Akira sighed in relief. “_I’m glad you picked up. We’re at my uncle’s house and I don’t have any service out here_.”

“Hey, dude! I’m so happy to hear you.” Ryuji smiled and closed his eyes as a feeling of calm swept over him. He hadn’t realized how tense he was. “Guess what I’m doing right now?”

“_Hmm…_ _are you hanging out with Ann?”_

“Uh, yeah, actually. Until about a minute ago.”

“_Haha, she sent me a very cute picture of you at Big Bang earlier. Are those sunglasses new? I like them.”_

“Ugh, please tell me it ain’t the pic with the onion hangin’ out my mouth.”

“_You know I don’t like lying.”_

“I don’t think ‘liking it’ is the problem, I think you’re just a bad liar.” Akira laughed and it was like music to Ryuji’s ears. He thought that it might be nice if he could keep making Akira laugh like this for a long time to come. “Akira, what’s your opinion on double weddings?”

The door slammed open and Ann loomed in the doorway. She slapped the lights back on. “The train I want doesn’t leave for another hour so I’m going to pack a bag. Are you _sleeping_ in here?”

The sound machine made an eerie noise.

“_What was that?”_

“I think it’s a whale song. Can I call you back? Ann just caught me nappin’ in her bed.”

“_This is a landline, so I’ll call you. Is half an hour good?”_

“Yeah, talk to ya soon. I love you.”

Akira made a choked noise. _ “I- I love you, too. Bye.” _

“Bye.” Ryuji ended the call and dropped his phone. He selected a plush, heart-shaped pillow from the assortment on Ann’s bed, pressed it over his face, and screamed into it.

“You can’t have a crisis while I’m having a crisis!” Ann yelled at him from inside her closet.

Ryuji didn’t do anything for a few moments except for lie on Ann’s bed, hugging the heart pillow to his chest. “Me an’ Akira just said ‘I love you’ for the first time. He was lookin’ at an ugly pic of me, too.”

Ann stuck her head out of the closet to glare at him. “Why the hell am I taking relationship advice from you?”

“’Cause I seduced Akira.”

“Yeah, okay.”

…


	6. Distance Runners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pegoryu week day 6: free

Although Akira usually appreciated Ryuji’s longstanding commitment to physical fitness, rainy season was always the exception. With classes on break and the rain turning every day into an endless stretch of gray, it didn’t take long for Ryuji to go stir-crazy, even with the occasional distraction of his part-time job. And despite Akira’s best efforts at becoming a human paperweight, settling himself heavy and immobile on Ryuji’s chest or across his lap, Ryuji couldn’t be coerced into passiveness.

Which is how Akira found himself jogging out by the river during a light rain, wearing his lighter set of athletic clothes and his most water-repellent jacket. But for as much as he had dreaded it, it was actually pretty nice out; the rain cut through the humidity and was a refreshing spray on his heated skin. He and Ryuji slowed to a stop near the pedestrian bridge but, rather than sit at the rain shelter, Ryuji stepped off the sidewalk and followed a gravel path that lead down the slope to the riverbank.

“If you fall, I will take pictures,” Akira warned him.

“I ain’t gonna fall,” Ryuji said, right before slipping on the wet grass and landing on his ass with a heavy _thump_. “FUCK.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Akira snapped a few pictures of Ryuji remorsefully rubbing his butt, then followed him down. Ryuji offered a hand out to Akira to steady him when he came close. They sat together in the grass and Akira sighed as he felt water soak into his clothes from all angles: the rain, the wet ground, and the spray from the river all working in tandem. “We’re gonna get sick.”

“Idiots don’t catch colds.” Ryuji grinned and knocked their shoulders together. Akira smiled back and found Ryuji’s hand with his own, lacing their fingers together. Their palms were slick with sweat and rainwater, but it was still nice. “So… your birthday’s comin’ up soon.”

Akira’s smile slipped into a pout. “I don’t like that you’ve figured out when my birthday is.”

“I put it on my calendar after you let me miss it last year, _again_. And I like knowing that I’m a few months older than you,” Ryuji told him smugly. “C’mon, out with it! How should we celebrate?”

Akira reached up to tug on his bangs, but they were plastered to his forehead. “Whatever is fine.”

“Akiraaa,” Ryuji whined. He let go of Akira’s hand and instead draped himself across his shoulders, looping his arms loosely around his neck. “Why won’t you let me cherish youuu.”

“You hid your birthday, too.”

“Heck yeah I did! What was I gonna do? Be like, ‘hey, new kid, I know you’ve only been here two months, but you’re already my best friend so let’s spend my birthday together, all day, just the two of us.’ Yeah, that’s super not weird.” That got a laugh out of Akira. Ryuji smiled and kissed the nape of his neck. “But I told you after that. And call me crazy, but I’m hopin’ that we’re finally at the stage in our relationship where we can openly celebrate stuff.”

Akira hummed in a way that made Ryuji frown.

“Do you not like your birthday?”

“...Not really.” Akira slowly tore up a handful of grass, the water making the blades stick to his skin. "My family never really did birthdays, and when they did it was usually just because there was something else going on, too. And I guess I could have a party now, but I think it would be stressful to be the center of attention like that.”

Ryuji decided not to point out the obvious irony in that statement. He peppered more kisses over Akira’s neck. “Okay, don’t have a party. But what about this: if you could have a whole day to do absolutely anythin’ ya want, what would ya do?”

“I’d order takeout and stay in bed all day with you.”

“That’s it? You didn’t even think about it!”

“My favorite food, my favorite place, my favorite person.”

Ryuji smiled and pressed his face into Akira’s hair. “Sometimes I think you’re just tryin’ to make it easy for me, but I guess you’re really a pretty simple guy, huh?”

“I hope that’s a compliment.”

“Not really. A compliment would be like ‘your meat is _so_ huge that--’” Ryuji yelped as Akira suddenly launched them both sideways into the grass. They laughed and wrestled on the riverbank, trying to shove each other into the mud until they inevitably rolled into it together. After that, they decided that they’d had enough of the outdoors and made their way back at the top of the slope, drenched and sweaty and more than a little mud-caked.

Their clasped hands now had some extra grit between them, but Akira didn’t let go. He tugged Ryuji in the direction of the apartment, just in case he was getting any ideas about continuing the run. “It’s your twentieth next. Does that mean you wanna go all out? Huge party, lots of beer?”

“Dude, no_._ I _never_ wanna taste beer again.” Ryuji groaned.

“Are you coming over to the dark side with me?” Akira waggled his eyebrows. “Gonna get fruity drinks at all the future mixers we go to?”

Ryuji wrinkled his nose. “What? No way, I don’t ever need to go to another mixer.”

“Why? The one we went to wasn’t bad.”

Ryuji groaned even more loudly and slung an arm around Akira’s shoulders. “’Cause I got you, stupid.”

“Oh. ” Akira’s heart tried to escape his body by ramming a hole through his ribs. “So, you don’t see a future where we’re not dating?”

“Huh.” Ryuji wrinkled his nose in thought, but then he shrugged and kissed Akira’s temple. “I guess not. Is that okay?”

Ryuji had known from the moment he met Akira that the guy was speaking to him from behind a mask. Akira was too calm, too composed, too disinterested to be a real sixteen-year-old. He talked like a teacher and he dressed like a narc. Throughout their friendship, Ryuji had the feeling that Akira never completely let his guard down, that there was something he was always holding back. Now, as Akira looked back at him- red-faced from the run, spattered with rainwater, mud in his clothes and hair- Ryuji thought he understood what it was.

Akira was wearing one of Ryuji’s favorite smiles; the small, secret one where he chewed on his lips to keep it from showing, but the crinkle of his eyes gave away how pleased he was. “It’s very, extremely okay.”

...


	7. Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every week is pegoryu week if you're not a coward.

There was a sound coming from somewhere in the apartment. Akira wasn’t conscious enough to process a complete thought about it, but Ryuji stirred underneath him and sat up in bed. Akira moaned in betrayal as he slid off of Ryuji’s chest and piled onto his lap, uncomfortable but unwilling to move.

“Mom’s back,” Ryuji mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. He stretched his arms over his head, much to Akira’s displeasure as he was further unsettled, and made a jaw-popping yawn. “Sounds like she’s got groceries. Imma go help.”

“Do your best,” Akira sighed, slipping from the cusp of wakefulness as Ryuji did his best to extract himself from under Akira’s clinging form.

Akira woke again to the sound of muted voices through the wall, his sleep-addled brain latching onto the familiar cadence of Ryuji’s voice. He ran his hand over the warm sheets and figured that he’d only fallen back asleep for a few minutes. Akira also noticed the smell of coffee and became slightly more interested in the idea of being awake, cracking his eyes open to take in the familiar sight of Ryuji’s bedroom.

Akira’s brain gradually reminded him that Ryuji’s mother was out in the kitchen and he decided that he should get out of bed and greet her. He didn’t see her very often and wasn’t sure what her impression was of him, but Ryuji always seemed eager to have them interact. Akira stepped unsteadily out into the hall, still dressed in the nightclothes that Ryuji had lent him, and followed the sound of Ryuji’s voice into the kitchen.

“...really nice, but I’m not sure if it’s okay.” Ryuji was turned away from him, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. Akira glanced at his chest and recognized a missing Featherman t-shirt that Ryuji must have taken from his closet. Holy shit, was Ryuji getting too beefy for them to keep sharing clothes? That sleeve looked _snug_ on his bicep. Wait, was this why almost none of Ryuji’s shirts had sleeves?

“I’m not sayin’ you have to put on a parade. It’s just a lunch treat.” Despite her small stature, Ryuji’s mother was a formidable force. She motioned for Ryuji to come closer and he inclined his head until it was low enough for her to kiss his cheek and ruffle his hair. “Ugh, but you ain’t eatin’ until you’ve brushed your teeth. Your breath reeks, kid.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty nasty,” Akira agreed, passing by them to pour a cup of coffee. He laughed when Ryuji whirled indignantly to face him.

“You’re one to talk! Sometimes it smells like you’ve got Morgana’s cat breath!”

“Who do you think I practice kissing on?” Akira said, remembering belatedly that he was trying to make a good impression on his boyfriend’s mother and that he probably shouldn’t make jokes that fell anywhere near bestiality. Luckily for him, Ryuji had inherited his terrible sense of humor from her and they both retched and laughed. “Good morning, Sakamotos.”

“It’s almost a good afternoon! I can’t believe you kids were still in bed.” She slapped Ryuji’s hand away from the refrigerator. “I’m about to get started on lunch, so grab whatever you want to snack on and then I’m kickin’ you out of the kitchen.”

“Ooh, didja get-”

“All of the bakery stuff in those two.” She waved to indicate the paper bags on the dining table. “Akira, hon, did you need sugar for that? Creamer?”

“No, thank you.”

“Alright, let me know if you want anything, okay?” She motioned for him to come closer. Akira stepped forward, but she made the gesture again. Slowly, Akira bent forward, inclining his head until it was low enough for her to kiss his cheek and ruffle his hair. “You’re a good one. Let me know if Ryuji ever makes you cry, okay?”

“_Mom!_” Ryuji cried as Akira's ears turned pink. His mother laughed and waved them out of the kitchen.

The two of them set up camp in the living room, on the floor in front of the television. Akira blew on his coffee and flipped through the channels while Ryuji took inventory of their snacks. The bag that Ryuji rummaged through was mostly pastries and he made increasingly delighted exclamations as he pulled out one treat after another. After landing on a trivia show, Akira set his mug on the coffee table behind them and opened the other bag.

“Oh, wait a sec--”

Underneath a pair of chocolate croissants, was a clear plastic container with a small cake inside. It was chocolate iced with white writing.

“Ah, shit. Sorry, I told my mom and she wanted to get you something. You don’t have to eat it.” Ryuji watched Akira carefully, but he had gone very still. Ryuji frowned. “Are you gonna tell me somethin’ tragic, like this is the first birthday cake you’ve ever had?”

“No,” Akira croaked, “I wasn’t going to tell you that.”

“Goddamnit, what the fuck was your childhood.” Ryuji reached for the cake, but Akira snatched it away.

“I need a fork!” Akira said urgently, ripping through the seal on the lid. His eyes were glassy and his nose was wet.

“Okay, okay!” Ryuji grinned and got to his feet, but Akira tugged on the hem of his pajama bottoms.

“Actually, two forks. I don’t want to share one and have you slow me down.”

“OH, we’re gonna be like that, huh?!”

And so, that’s how Akira almost made himself sick by inhaling half a cake on the morning of his nineteenth birthday. He stretched out on the living room floor, his head pillowed in Ryuji’s lap, groaning with both regret and an unsettling sense of satisfaction. Ryuji combed his fingers through Akira’s hair and whispered reassurances while trying not to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be taking a brief hiatus while I drive 3,050 miles to my new home next week. :) Catch updates on my life crisis at tumblr and twitter @sinshiney


End file.
